Online platforms such as YouTube may increasingly face litigation over personality rights, particularly as deepfakes and AI-generated impersonations of celebrities spread. Personality rights—covering an individual’s name, voice, likeness, image, and other distinctive attributes—give people control over the commercial use of their identity. With the rise of AI, these rights are under sharper focus than ever.
Petitions filed by Bollywood actors have pushed the issue to the forefront, highlighting how platforms like YouTube could be drawn into court battles as stars seek to protect their digital identity and reputation. Mint takes a closer look at why celebrities are moving courts, and why they are demanding damages.
Why have Bollywood actors filed personality rights cases in courts?
Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan recently approached the Delhi High Court, seeking to prevent the misuse of their personality rights. They sought injunctions against certain rogue websites, including YouTube channels, that used their names, images, voices, and likenesses for commercial purposes without consent.
Granting them relief, the court observed: “Any infringement of the plaintiff’s personality rights will lead to dilution of his reputation and goodwill that he has garnered over the years, while also causing confusion amongst members of the public regarding the authenticity, endorsement or sponsorship of a product or service by the plaintiff.”
Other prominent actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, Jackie Shroff, and Anil Kapoor, have previously moved courts in similar cases, and have also secured injunctions.
Queries sent last evening to YouTube remained unanswered till publishing.
Why are the Bachchans seeking damages from YouTube?
In their petitions, the Bachchans flagged YouTube’s “your content and third-party training policy”, which allows creators to permit their videos to be used for training AI models. The couple argued this could allow biased or manipulated content to train AI systems, amplifying negative or false portrayals of individuals.
The petition further noted: “What is more egregious is that the infringers (defendants) are also making commercial gains through content being uploaded on YouTube channels.”
Accordingly, the Bachchans have sought a court order directing YouTube not to use infringing videos uploaded by unknown websites to train AI models. They also want YouTube to deploy safeguards to ensure that content violating intellectual property rights is not used for AI training. Citing monetary losses, they have demanded damages of nearly ₹4 crore.
What other litigations has YouTube faced?
YouTube has faced similar litigation in recent years.
TV Today Network vs Google LLC (2025): In June, the Delhi High Court ordered Google LLC to remove a fake YouTube channel impersonating journalist Anjana Om Kashyap, which used manipulated videos and deepfake content.
Manchu Vishnu case (2024): The actor sued several YouTube channels for unauthorized use of his voice, image, and likeness in AI-manipulated videos. The court ordered injunctions, directed YouTube to take down infringing content within 48 hours if defendants failed to comply, and asked the platform to provide identifying details of anonymous infringers.
What are legal experts saying?
Legal experts note that the outcome of these cases could set crucial precedents for the liability of online platforms in the AI era.
“Under Indian law, the liability of an online platform like YouTube for infringing content uploaded by its users is a nuanced issue, primarily governed by ‘intermediary liability’ and the principle of ‘safe harbour,’” said Rohit Jain, managing partner, Singhania & Co.
“While YouTube may be impleaded as a party to personality rights litigation, if it has complied with due diligence and other requirements under law, the liability may not directly fall upon YouTube,” Jain said.
Alay Rizvi, managing partner, Accord Juris, noted that while personality rights are not codified in India, courts uphold them through Article 21 (right to privacy) and common-law publicity principles. Increasingly, courts treat name, image, and likeness as proprietary commercial interests, granting swift injunctions, takedowns, and damages.
“With the revolutionary expansion of social media and AI technology, the misuse of personality rights such as name, image, voice and other attributes has grown. This has triggered a rise in disputes where celebrities are not only seeking protection of their rights but are also being forced to move courts against violations,” said Ankit Rajgarhia, designate partner, Bahuguna Law Associates.
